Monday, March 31, 2014

Hi everyone! My 30th birthday was this past week, so I decided to do a little giveaway to celebrate! I have an extra bottle of Contrary Polish Bal Masque (exclusive to March's A Box Indied) and CrowsToes Black Widow up for grabs!

Bal Masque

Black Widow

This giveaway is open to US and International readers with the exception of the United Kingdom, Italy, and Russia. You must be 18 or older to enter. The winner will be contacted via the e-mail provided and if no response is received in 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. The Giveaway will close on April 6, 2014 at 12 AM CST. The winner will receive both of the polishes in this post and they are all brand new and unused.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Hi everyone! Sorry for not posting much this week but I'm on vacation from work and it was my birthday, so I have been pretty slack about taking pictures unfortunately (even of my birthday mani which I adored, but only got a single iPhone picture of).

What I CAN tell you about this week is that I've grown even deeper in love with OPI's Brazil Collection. I picked up several more for my birthday and I love them all so much. It's so funny how a collection that you had initially written off completely can so quickly become your obsession. Last night, I put on OPI Kiss Me I'm Brazilian, a bright medium pink creme. It has a lovely formula and is unique in my collection (which, as a rule, has mostly dark pink or neon pink cremes). I love that it is bright without being neon and feels so fresh and perfect for warmer weather. I can't wait to do a pedi with it!

I recently received a few water decals from Born Pretty Store for review, and I thought these black decals would look perfect over the bright pink base. I've mentioned this before, but I think water decals are perfect for those of you wanting a completely simple way to add art to your nails. They could not be easier to use. For these, I cut them up into individual pieces and placed them in water for about 15 seconds (after removing their protective film). After that, I easily slid them off of their paper backing with tweezers and placed them on my nails. They are easy to slide around and adjust to just the proper placement on the nail when they are still wet. After you have them where you want them, just use a paper towel to dab and absorb extra water and add topcoat. Instant nail art!

These particular decals (Stylish Butterfly Owl Design K210) come in a sheet with 10 black and 10 white decals of this design (here I've already cut off the top row of black to do my left hand). The white ones are hard to see here because they are against the white paper background, but they are exactly the same as the black. These would be very versatile to use over any color that you like. You can use all 10 of one color in a mani like I did, or you could use them as accents and you could get several manis out of them.

Be sure to check out these and many more water decals and nail art products at Born Pretty Store if you want a quick and easy way to add some nail art to your mani routine. I've always had great experiences with ordering from them at very
reasonable prices. Also, you can't beat free worldwide shipping! You can also follow Born Pretty Store on Facebook and Instagram. You can use my coupon code JCX31 for 10% off your order! Thanks for looking everyone!

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Hi everyone! Today I have a lovely Jade holographic polish to share with you called Falling Star. If you guys have ever seen my posts about Jade holographics, you know I'm a huge fan and this polish is no exception. Falling Star is a rich blue-leaning teal linear holographic. It has a jelly holo finish and requires no special base and topcoat. The formula is nice and opaque (I used 2 coats for my mani). The holo flame is great too and is consistent with all of my other Jade holos. This is a great polish to use for an effortless mani.

Monday, March 24, 2014

Hi everyone! Today I have a beauty from Indigo Bananas for you called We Are the Music Makers. It has a sheer teal jelly base filled with colors shifting glitters that shift from teal/blue/purple as well as some added holographic sparkle. I felt like this would work best layered, so I layered 2 coats over a coordinating base color, OPI Fly. I thought the result was stunning! Formula was fantastic on this and you could wear it alone if you wanted to, but you would have to use 3 coats since it is a sheer jelly base.

As a side note, I want to mention just how perfect I think that Indigo Banana's mini polishes are. They aren't too small (8 ml instead of 5 ml as most minis tend to be) and the bottle isn't awkward to hold (important in a blogger's eyes!). I think this is a nice option to have as a consumer if you want to order more variety from an indie maker and are on a limited budget (or if you are like me and logically you think, "Gah, I have a TON of polish and would never likely use an entire 15 ml bottle up"). Indigo Bananas polishes are available from their Etsy Shop as well as from Edgy Polish (Sweden) and Mei Mei's Signatures (Singapore). Be sure to follow Indigo Bananas on their official website, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter to see many amazing swatches and keep up-to-date on new collections, restocks, etc. Thanks for looking everyone!*This polish was a gift from the maker*

Hi everyone! Today I have an older polish to share with you that was released with Pahlish's very first collection on Etsy called Snake in the Grass. At the time, I didn't really love greens like this so I didn't order it, but I was lucky to snag it in a blog sale recently. PahlishSnake in the Grass has a lime green base packed with golden shimmer and green glitters as well as some tiny bar glitters. It reminds me a lot of a NerdLacquer with its dense shimmering base, and I like to layer polishes like this generally. I layered 1 coat over Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Limestone. I really love this polish and I'm so excited I was able to add it to my collection!

As I said, this is an older Pahlish and is no longer sold, but be sure to check out all of the other fabulous polishes that Pahlish offers.Pahlish is available from their Big Cartel Shop. Be sure to follow Pahlish on Facebook and on their blog for details about restocks (they are Fridays at 7 pm CST) and new polishes. Pahlish is also available from Llarowe, Overall Beauty, Rainbow Connection, and Edgy Polish.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

I everyone! Today I have some nail art inspired by Elevation Polish. Last week, we decided to to brown manis for creator Lulu in a fan group I'm in on Facebook. Brown is Lulu's favorite polish color, but since I didn't have a brown Elevation Polish, I went with Pahlish El Topo Petit as my base. Since Lulu's collection themes all have to do with mountains and nature, I decided to stamp some trees that sort of look like they are in the mountains (I used Nubar Risky Rose and Bundle Monster plate H02 for the stamped design). To finish it off, I used one of my very first Elevation Polishes, Daisen, as an accent. I do love those circle glitters! Unfortunately, Daisen is discontinued, but there are so many other amazing Elevation Polishes to check out (including a new circle glitter topper called Kilimanjaro.)

Let's have a look at Pahlish El Topo Petit by itself. As I mentioned in my previous post about OPI I Sao Paulo Over There...I'm SO not a taupe person. I have never really been that interested in them, but this is the polish that caused me to give them a second look. It is so chic and fabulous! It is described as "a smoky taupe creme packed with tiny red microflakes" and that describes it to a tee. I wore it by itself for almost a day before I added my designs because I liked it so much. Formula was great too, with full smooth coverage at 2 coats.

Elevation Polish is available from creator Lulu's Big Cartel Store. She has a lot of info on restock dates and availability on the Big Cartel site as well as on her blog. Her shop is restocked on the 7th and 22nd each month unless otherwise noted. Elevation Polish is also stocked at Llarowe.Pahlish is available from Pahlish's Big Cartel Shop. Be sure to follow Pahlish on Facebook and on their blog for details about restocks (they are Fridays at 7 pm CST) and new polishes. Pahlish is also available from Llarowe, Overall Beauty, Rainbow Connection, and Edgy Polish. Thanks for looking everyone!

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Hi everyone! Today I have a springy mani for you featuring two lovely polishes: OPI I Sao Paulo Over There and Oopsie Daisies Bluebird. I thought the color combo of taupe and light blue was very chic and I loved the final look of this mani.

OPI I Sao Paulo Over There (which shall be henceforth referred to as ISPOT) is a dark taupe creme that leans to the cooler side. Believe it or not, it does not have any dupes in my collection. I only have one other taupe creme (American Apparel Mouse) and it is much lighter and more grey-leaning. The formula was terrific with full, smooth coverage at 2 coats. I thought the shade was nice and was very flattering on me. This is part of the recent Brazil Collection, so should be easy to find anywhere OPI is sold (I purchased mine from Sally Beauty).

I did accents of Oopsie Daisies Bluebird (I did a full review of it here last year when it was released). Unfortunately, it is now discontinued due to the discontinuation of one of the pigments used in it. Such a pretty polish though! I stamped over Bluebird with ISPOT using Bundle Monster plate BM407. It stamped pretty well over the lighter color. I think this would make a really pretty fabric to use for crafting/decoration.

Oopsie Daisie's polishes are available in creator Cathryn's Etsy shop﻿. I know Bluebird is discontinued, but she has a lot of other cute stuff to check out! Oopsie Daisies polishes are also available at Edgy Polish. Follow Oopsies Daisies on Facebook and Cathryn's blog for updates on restocks and new collections. Thanks for looking everyone!

Friday, March 21, 2014

Hi everyone! Today I have a green beauty from KBShimmer called The Dancing Green. This polish was released last year as part of KBShimmer's Summer 2013 Collection and is still available as part of their core line. It has a kelly green jelly base filled with fuchsia, lime green, purple, and blue metallic glitters of different shapes and sizes. The colors are so vibrant and wonderful in this polish (and some of my favorite colors!). KBShimmer never ceases to amaze me with their wonderful formula on jelly-based glitters. This is 3 fuss-free coats of The Dancing Green.

KBShimmer polishes are available from their website as well as from Harlow & Co. (Canada). Be sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram for updates on new collections and to see swatches of all of their polishes. Thanks for looking everyone!

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Hi everyone! Today I have my first (but not last) purchase from OPI's Brazil Collection for Spring/Summer. When this collection first came out, I didn't give them much thought. Now, all of a sudden, I have some sort of creme infatuation going on so I want several more of them.

OPI Live.Love.Carnaval is a bright orangey coral creme. I was immediately drawn to this polish when I saw the display in person. It has such a fun brightness about it and it had to come home with me. The formula was fantastic and perfectly smooth and opaque at 2 coats.This would be a fantastic pedi color as well.

OTT Light

Outdoors, full sun

I don't have a ton of coral cremes in my collection, so I did not have
any dupes but I could see being more careful if you have a lot of them. I
did see some coral comparisons at imabeautygeek.com and Peachy Polish so those might be a helpful resource for those of you with lots of coral cremes.

Outdoors, shade

Lacquistry Amazeballz is a clear based (slightly gold tinted) polish filled to the brim with shiny gold flakes. This polish is SUPER REFLECTIVE (I could literally see my reflection in my nail). The flakes lie perfectly smooth and flat on the nail so there is no need for thick topcoat. I used a base of Sally Hansen Golden-I and then layered on 3 thin coats of Amazeballz so that it was pretty much opaque. It is truly a special polish. I feel like it is so eye catching that it works best as an accent, as I have used it in this mani. I thought the gold was a nice accent with the coral creme.

I have seen the OPI Brazil Collection out everywhere that OPI is sold, but I purchased mine from Sally Beauty (so glad they carry OPI now!).

Lacquistry polishes can be purchased from their Etsy Shop. Follow them on Facebook for updates on restocks and new collections.

What do you think about this hot coral combo? Is it getting you ready for spring and summer? I know I'm totally obsessed with brights right now, so I can tell the seasons are changing! Thanks for looking everyone!

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Hi everyone! Another month...another mystery polish... Enchanted Polish had another pre-order for the month of February and the mystery polish this time is really a stunner.

Enchanted Polish February 2014 arrived today and though I had seen a few sneak pictures of it, it is much darker than I thought it would be. It looks much lighter in the bottle than on the nail. It is a creamy deep purply wine colored linear holographic with fine pink shimmer. The shimmer is actually pretty prominent in this polish and I love the depth it adds. This polish is thick (very easily a one coater), but manageable. I made sure to wipe off most of the excess before application because otherwise the polish would keep dripping from the top of the brush and I would end up with WAAAAY too much polish on my nail. Because of this, I found it best to use 2 thin coats. Overall, I'm really pleased with this polish. I'm still hoping some brighter colors are released soon, but this one is stunning.

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Hi everyone! Today I have Pahlish's March "Don't Hesitate" Duo to share with you. This duo was created in honor of creator Shannon's wedding this month and was inspired by she and her husband's song, "Baby I Love Your Way" by Peter Frampton. I actually did hesitate before I ordered it, but I'm so glad that I decided to pull the trigger because I do believe this is my favorite Pahlish Duo yet. Everything about it just works.

Fireflies Under the Pines is a clear-based glitter topper with lavender satin, holographic, and metallic glitters, caramel metallic glitters, tiny purple iridescent glitters, and a sprinkle of violet shimmer. It's so beautiful and sparkly! This is my favorite type of glitter topcoat lately because the glitters are just the right size. This also lends to a fantastic formula that spreads easily and isn't too thick or overly glittery. The combination of colors is lovely and the holo/iridescent sparkle is just perfect in it. I really want to try this matte too *adds to ever-growing to-do list*. This is 2 coats over Shadows Grow So Long, the other half of the March Duo.

Shadows Grow So Long is a pale lavender creme with purple, lavender, gold, and scattered charcoal flakes. As you can see, the base is very opaque and creamy so you get hints of all of this goodness going on which gives the polish a speckled effect. Formula was great and and was perfect at 2 coats. I just love this polish! The color is so fresh and clean for spring without being stark.

Pahlish is available from Pahlish's Big Cartel Shop. The March Duo will only be available during the month of March, so be sure to grab it while you still can! Be sure to follow Pahlish on Facebook and on their blog for details about restocks (they are Fridays at 7 pm CST) and new polishes. Pahlish is also available from Llarowe, Overall Beauty, Rainbow Connection, and Edgy Polish. Thanks for looking everyone!

Hi everyone! Today I have a polish from a new to me indie called Loaded Lacquer. I had seen their polishes on Instagram and I had to have a few! Loaded Lacquer has a nice variety of polishes with lots of chunky glitters and jellies. Today's polish comes from their newest release, The Hula Girl Collection.

Tropical Moment has a clear base packed with hot pink and gold flakes with some additional violet/gold shimmer. I layered 2 coats over American Apparel Angeline (medium pink creme)for this mani. The formula spread easily (despite being dense with flakes) and covered very well. It's very hard to photograph the flakies unless they are in the shade because they are very sparkly, so you will see I included several "shade" photos below. This is a very unique polish in my collection, and it is absolutely gorgeous. I have actually since seen it layered over darker colors on Instagram, and that brings out a whole new dimension of the polish.

Loaded Lacquer is available from creator Heather's online shop. Be sure to follow Loaded Lacquer on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram to see more swatches and for info on restocks and new releases. Thanks for looking everyone!